The biology of the stoat (Mustela erminea) in the national parks of new zealand vii. fleas

Abstract

Among 680 fleas found on 1501 stoats there were 662 Nosopsyllus fasciatus (Bose, 1800), 8 Leptopsylla segnis (Schonherr, 1811), 1 Ceratophyl- lus gallinae (Schrank, 1803), 1 Parapsyllus n. nestoris (Smit, 1965), and 8 unidentified. Five of the L. segnis were found on stoats from Craigieburn Forest Park, where mice carry mostly L. segnis; in Fiordland stoats, mice, and rats carry only N. fasciatus. The single P. n. nestoris also came from Craigieburn, where keas (Nestor notabilis) are common. Stoats caught in leg-hold traps had more fleas than those caught in humane Fenn traps, because the former lived longer after capture. Stoats found alive in either kind of trap had more fleas than stoats found dead. The incidence of fleas on stoats found alive was higher in beech forest than in podocarp or mixed forests but not significantly different between sexes and seasons. © 1982 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.